In Love and Death
by SnowCrystal
Summary: [AU] [Yaoi] He's supposed to be dead, but a simple God of Death is determined that Zack is not going to die. [CloudxZack]


_«I – Hello, Goodbye»_

7th Heaven, a dinky little bar situated in the darkest corner of Midgar's slums, was his next destination. Most of the inhabitants came in to rest, chatter and basically to wash away their problems in a temporary illusion fuelled by litres of alcohol. Nothing special, nothing unordinary lay inside this dinky little bar, and yet, Cloud Strife chose to step inside past the doors that blocked the gloom from entering from outside.

He looked round, and despite the murky little mist that formed from the ends of cigarette butts scattered around the room; the atmosphere remained cheery and pleasant and all this seemed to originate from behind the bar counter at the very back of the bar. But he wasn't interested in what everyone else did – Cloud was always an introvert that preferred to get his business done quickly. And that was to find the perpetrator that thought he could cheat death.

A quick sweeping glance across the bar counter showed him that the bar owner was already busy serving a few customers in the far corner, her back was turned to Cloud, and so, he patiently sat in an empty seat. To occupy his boredom, he turned his back to the counter and faced the rest of the bar. Almost immediately, his eyes were attracted to a throng of people, crowded round an unknown spectacle. He squinted in the dim light and, on impulse, moved towards the crowd.

"Go on, Zack! Beat the shit out of him!"

Cloud's interest immediately grew. It was him. Zack Fair – the cheater of death he was ordered to kill. He quickly cut his way through the crowd, amidst several angry shouts of protest, and came to a stop at the very front – just in time to watch a raven-haired man punch an anonymous stranger. The blow connected, and he flew several steps back, before he quickly regained his posture once again to brush aside the flow of blood that leaked from the corners of his mouth.

This raven-haired man, who Cloud assumed to be Zack, straightened up, and instantly, Cloud could see the adrenaline running through him. Was this guy just fighting for the thrill of things? At this thought, Cloud wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Can we stop now? There's no point – I've already shown you that you can't beat me," Zack said in an unimpressed manner. He turned back round, and with a simple nod at someone, he walked back into the cheering crowd – which he almost took no notice of.

Cloud quickly stepped forward into the little arena that was free of people. "Hey, wait."

At the sound of a new challenger, he turned around. In the light, Cloud took his time to note his appearance. Zack's hair made him appear like a hedgehog, but his eyes gleamed in a way that showed he wasn't one to cower and hide. He stood tall and Cloud knew that the arms beneath his sleeves were muscled. He was strong – that was all that Cloud knew.

"What? Are you his friend?" Zack asked grumpily, inclining his head towards where the fallen stranger would have been, had he not stalked off into the crowd.

A quick look at Cloud seemed to tell Zack that he was skinny and weedy. His bare arms did show muscles, but that seemed a mere façade to the fact that he looked so much weaker than he was. He took one look at his blond spiked hair and his trendy clothes, and automatically assumed that he was a young adult that took a wrong turn into a bar and not into the block of apartments nearby. Though, Zack remarked, he himself was no different.

Cloud showed no remorse for his 'comrade'. Instead, he chose to ignore the question altogether. "You're Zack Fair, aren't you?"

Zack automatically took a fighting stance, bracing himself. He wasn't famous around here, and here this kid was, stating his name.

Cloud seemed to have noticed this, but no movement of his seemed to imply fear. "I've been looking for you," Cloud continued.

"Eh, what?" Zack said, showing the slightest bit of hesitation, just as the crowd seemed to disperse. He barely took notice; all his attention was concentrated on this man.

"Alright, break it up. It's a bar, not a show! Get moving. If you're not paying-" A woman's voice said behind the crowd.

"I'm-"

"Cloud!"

He turned his head to the woman who had previously been shouting orders at the spectators and was now shouting his very name. His eyes widened in shock. Long black hair and a strong aura – that was what defined Tifa Lockhart, the bar owner of 7th Heaven and his failed target, the one whom he had fallen for when he was supposed to kill. A wave of shame and guilt seemed to overcome him. She still had no idea why he had run away suddenly after her confession several years ago.

He felt the need to run again, just as Tifa was approaching him, when he caught a glance of Zack turning away and heading towards a gentle looking woman with her hair tied in a plait. Again, his eyes widened at the woman, and without thinking, he ran forwards, past Tifa, towards Zack, his latest target, and found himself running out of the bar, his hands gripped tight around Zack's wrist, who sprouted a ton of protests about his sudden captivity.

"Hey, hey, kid! Stop! What the hell are you doing? Aerith is still back there!" Zack shouted, turning his head back towards the steadily shrinking bar. "Those idiots back there! They prey on a girl like her! I'm the only one who can protect her! Stop right there! Stop! Stop here, you stupid little kid!"

Despite his loud complaints that seemed to glue the eyes of passer-bys everywhere he went, Cloud continued to run and run until his mortal weaknesses caught up with him and he stopped in an alleyway, free of spectators, for a quick gulp of fresh air. He leaned against a wall, as Zack impatiently tapped his foot, silently demanding answers.

"Look, kid. Why drag me out here?" Zack said, his tone clearly showing how pissed off he was.

Cloud stared at him, mulling over the news that had to be said. He had no idea what to say, never mind, _how_ to say it. But, before anything, he quickly said, "I'm not a kid."

"What do I call you then?" Zack asked. "I don't know your name, even though, you somehow know mine. What do I call you then? Spike?"

He gently patted one of Cloud's blond spikes, and Cloud automatically swatted his hand away. "My name is Cloud. I'm here to… tell you something."

"Cloud," Zack repeated, nodding his head. His irritation seemed to subdue once he knew what his purpose was. "So, what's going on?"

"Have… you had any near death situations?" Cloud asked, whilst staring at Zack. A quick scan of his face revealed a small scar on his left cheek.

Zack looked at the night sky, almost as if searching the stars for an answer. "Hmm… Possibly…" Zack said.

Cloud noticed his playful tone. "This is serious!" Cloud barked. "Zack Fair – you're supposed to be dead!"

Now this attracted Zack's attention. His gaze no longer searched the sky, but instead concentrated on Cloud's face, searching, hoping for some kind of indication that Cloud was about to say 'Only joking!' and smile brightly. Actually, Zack noted, the only emotions that Cloud seemed to display on his cute face was blankness and angriness.

He bent down to stare at him closely. Cloud's eyes were bright blue, but they seemed to be simmering with anger. "Well, the thing is…" He poked Cloud's face, which caused him to involuntarily flinch. "I'm not."

Cloud clapped his hands over Zack's lingering finger, hoping it would snap some sense into him. "That's the point. You should be."

"Pfft," Zack said, making no movement whatsoever to retrieve his finger back. "It's not everyday some kid comes up to me and says 'you're dead'."

"I am not a kid," Cloud stated firmly. "I am of twenty one years of mortal age, and you are of twenty three. And it should stop there."

"You? Twenty one?" Zack asked, using his free hand to mush up Cloud's hair as if he was a child. "I doubt you've gone past second base with someone."

Cloud fought the impulse to punch him. Zack seemed to be desperately clinging to the little thread that said that he was alive and breathing. Why did he continue to change the subject?

Cloud glared back at him, searching for something to say, but he was too occupied in thinking back. He was immersed in the past, thinking about Sephiroth's words to him.

"In order to prevent you from becoming attached to the mortal world, He has bestowed upon you the power to inflict pain onto the person who strays too close to you. A hug, a kiss – anything with more than a platonic purpose will cause pain to the human. If a person, say for instance, hugs you, and harbours feelings towards you, or God forbid, you have feelings towards this person; the human will always be the one to get a sudden spasm of pain. It's just a precaution – to keep us in check," Sephiroth has said to him, right after his student's failed mission.

_Cloud looked back at the quaint house that was home to Tifa, and then, back to his mentor. His silver hair floated on the light breeze, and Cloud idolised him so much, that he felt that the mere cardboard boxes that Sephiroth sat upon was a majestic throne. "That means I can't love, can I? I'm here, in this human body, to just do my job?"_

_Sephiroth nodded. "Don't get attached to this world. You may end up killing the one you 'love'."_

Cloud shook his head quickly, to shake away past memories of a duty that he felt forced to do, and Zack stared back at him, a renewed interest clear on his face. Cloud looked up to the sky to see that his very namesake etched across the skies. It was about to rain.

"Zack… Please, just come with me quietly," Cloud said, almost in an unconscious whisper. "Somehow, you've cheated death. It's not like I want to kill you, but, it's just that… your life is over now. It's my job to make sure that the world is in order – I have to make sure that people die when they should, and to guide them to Hell."

Zack shook his head slowly, and his hand slipped from Cloud's grasp, but there was no fear indicated in his face. No, there was an odd curiosity etched on his face. "…Cloud. Who are you?"

A raindrop splattered onto Cloud's hair, and soon, disappeared among the maze of blond spikes.

"My name is Cloud Strife. I am… a 1st Class God of Death."

He knew this was a lie, he had barely killed half a dozen people and failed to kill one, and that Sephiroth was in fact the 1st Class he was speaking of – but perhaps, this made Cloud seem more… intimidating? Cloud already knew that Zack wasn't scared of him though.

It didn't matter anyway. Zack was going to die one way or another. He wasn't going to remember this.

Cloud was too preoccupied in staring at Zack, prodding him for an answer, that his brain barely recognised the smile that was stretching itself across Zack's face. "A God of Death, huh?" Zack repeated, with the same tone as one would use on commenting on an overly cheesy advert. "So, I'm going to die, and that's it?"

Cloud nodded. Zack smiled.

And before Cloud knew what had happened, Zack was already speeding off in the opposite direction down the alleyway. He had turned the corner, when Cloud registered the fact that Zack was running away into his head. He scowled, and without another thought, he ran off after the fleeting image of a raven-haired hedgehog.

"Zack!" Cloud called after him, just as he turned again. He made his best effort to speed up and catch him in this claustrophobic labyrinth, almost tripping on a mislaid drunkard, and could barely skid himself to a stop, just before he crashed right into the gentle looking girl that was at the bar.

This girl was now crouched down over Zack, who seemed to have been knocked out, by whom Cloud needed to figure out, and she tenderly brushed his bangs out of his face. With a brief smile at Zack, who with his eyes closed couldn't even see it in the first place, she straightened up to smile at Cloud.

She was a thin and fairly tall woman, whose light pink dress, which stretched from her neck to her knees, seemed to show her personality in coloured form. Her hair was brushed back into a plait to show a kind and gentle face, but the basket placed precariously on her arm suggested it was she that had knocked out Zack.

"Cloud Strife. I believe we never really met," she said softly. She took another glance at Zack. "But, I have seen that you and Zack have been introduced to each other."

Cloud glared at this woman, knowing full well of her power. "You… You're a God of Life. Blindly giving hope to these humans, giving them a false pretence that they are immortal… You're pulling the wool over these humans' eyes! They worship you blindly, thinking that you are the good ones."

She shook her head. "You believe that death is inevitable. Remember – Gods of Life and Gods of Death have never really seen eye to eye on the methods and ways we choose to see life. My name is Aerith, and yes, I am a God of Life – or perhaps, as the humans call Gods of Life… I am a Guardian Angel? I'm assuming you're here to kill Zack?"

He nodded in response. "It's his time."

Aerith smiled weakly in reply. "I'm afraid you can't do that. Cloud Strife – I don't believe you want to kill Zack. I don't think you can."

The rain that had threatened to pour itself upon the world was now hammering down upon the three of them and it was this rain that engulfed the tears shining on Aerith's face. Cloud realised now – how much harder his mission was going to be, starting now, just as the rain started to threaten to wash the city clean once again.

* * *

A/N: Gah, I found it hard to write this… I've never really done either a yaoi or a dark themed story, but I guess there's a first time for everything? The plot bunnies brought on by _It's a Wonderful World _just kept pestering me. I think it's too formal sounding XD!

Okay, even if I'm new to the FF7 scene, please hit me with all your constructive criticism and any OOC-ness or any mistakes in the FF7 world. It'd be greatly appreciated – I'm going to do my best to keep them as the characters that everyone knows and loves.

Disclaimer: If I owned FF7, I would be a very happy bunny. Of course, not to say I'm not already, but happier than would be humanly possible. I also don't own the title, since Spannah, my friend, made it up 8D! But, thanks to her anyway 3


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